1. Welcome to Kindergarten Mrs. Lowery’s Class 2014-2015

2. Welcome I am so excited to get to know your child and do everything I can to help them succeed! The best way to do that is for us to work together. Please feel free to contact me whenever you have a question or concern. The best way to contact me is through email: lowerye@rcschools.net lowerye@rcschools.net You can also call the school and leave a message: 904-6720 Or you can write a note in your child’s agenda.

3. About the Teacher Mrs. Emily Lowery 8 th year teaching at SPS B.A. English, B.S. Early Childhood Education, M.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction Live in Franklin with my husband and daughter

4. Classroom Management 1. Follow Directions 2. Be Respectful 3. Keep Hands, Feet, and Objects to Yourself. 4. Share and Take Turns 5. Always Do Your Best Behavior will be marked daily with the following color code: Purple– Awesome day! (prize or privilege!) Blue– Great day! (choose a treat!) Green– Good day! Yellow– Warning! (Miss 5 minutes of center time.) Orange– Be careful! (Miss half of center time) Red– Oops! We’ll try better tomorrow! (No centers.) *All students will be given a chance to move back up the chart if their behavior improves.

5. General Information Arrival- doors open at 6:45. Students are considered tardy after 7:30 am. Dismissal- 2:30 Absences- Please send in a Dr.'s note or parent excuse the day the child returns. Transportation changes need to be sent in writing. The office will call to confirm the change. If no note is sent, the child will go home their normal way. Breakfast is served daily from 6:45-7:20. Lunch is at 10:35. P.E. is on Mon. and Thur. Your child needs to wear tennis shoes or they won't be allowed to participate. Money- Must be in a sealed envelope with the following information written on the front: Student's Name, Teacher's Name, Amount, Purpose Other items: (to be kept in your child's backpack) A change of clothes (in case of accidents)

6. Agendas Agendas are a great resource for finding out your child’s daily behavior, find notes and reminders from the teacher, and communicate with the teacher. Please make sure you check this daily and initial that you have seen it. It will be part of your child’s K.I.T (Keeping It Together). *More detailed information will be included in the student binder.

7. Reading Sight Words are important in helping your child learn to read and write. Please make sure you are practicing these with your child often. Make sure you are reading, nightly, any take home readers or any library books that come home in addition to any books you already have at home. Read sitting next to your child or with your child in your lap. Stop throughout the story to ask questions about words, pictures, what is happening, and what might happen next in the story.

8. Math Counting is a big part of kindergarten. You can help at home by counting everything. Talk about how many there are in a group, put groups of objects together, and take groups of objects away. Shapes are also important. Talk about the 2d and 3d shapes you see all around you.

9. Fine Motor Developing your child’s fine motor skills will help them with their handwriting, cutting skills, eye-hand coordination, and grasps. Some activities to help this are: Playing with playdoh Picking up objects by pinching them Cutting various items with scissors

10. Homework Homework will begin coming home after Fall Break. It will consist of a reading log and math problem to solve. I strongly encourage you to also work on helping your child memorize their sight words for the week. (They will be listed on the weekly newsletter.)

11. Projects I will be asking your child to complete a few projects this year. They won’t be extremely challenging but are meant to be done as a family. If you need supplies or support, please let me know. Name poster: Due by Aug 22

12. Parent Tips Read to your child every night! Practice identifying letters and naming their sounds wherever you go. Count everything you see. Our goal is to be counting to 100 by the end of the year. Make a game of finding sight words in your books, stores, wherever! Get a notebook and have your child keep a journal at home. They can practice writing about their day or how they are feeling. Go to the library. This is a great resource for books and technology for your child. Get online. The following websites are great: www.starfall.com www.abcya.com www.abcmouse.com www.dreambox.org (more info to come)

13. Show and Tell Every Friday, five pre-selected students will have the opportunity to bring in an item from home and share with the class. This needs to be something special to your child but not electronic, expensive, or breakable. It needs to fit in their backpack. Check the newsletter for the student’s names.

14. The First Day of Kindergarten I will meet students in the hallway. They will need to come to the room and sit in the hall outside of the classroom. Parents may stay to help deliver supplies. I will ask you again how your child will be getting home that day. If your child rides the bus, an E.A. will show them how to go to breakfast and then how to get to the classroom. Please make sure they are going home the way you have marked on the sheet you are turning in tonight.

15. The First Day of Kindergarten It is better for your child if you don’t linger. Say goodbye and allow them to walk to the room on their own every day after that. This is great for building their independence and self-confidence. Your child will never be completely alone in the hallway.

16. The First Day of Kindergarten At dismissal, each child will have a color- coded tag attached to their backpack showing how they are supposed to go home. Car riders go to the gym with Ms. Gibson and Ms. Kumlien. Daycares will go with me. Buses will go with Ms. Brownlee and Ms. Harmon. Bus riders will then be walked to their bus by a special areas teacher. (Kindergarteners are dismissed before the rest of the school.)

17. Kindergarteners at Work Kindergarten work involves a lot of hands-on, play- like activities. We’ll play games, sing songs, and sometimes, get a little messy. Please remember, your child is learning how to use classroom tools, like scissors, glue, and markers, and at the beginning there can be some accidents and messes. Please be patient and maybe don’t send your child to school in their “Sunday best.”

18. Thank You! Thank you so much for sharing your child with me. We are going to work hard and you are going to be amazed at what your child is able to do in such a short amount of time. Kindergarten is a fun and exciting time in a child’s life.